


like wishing for rain (as i stand in the desert)

by SunsetRunner



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Established Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, Gen, Post 6x23: Life Sentence, Post S6, Pregnancy, S7 speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 12:11:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14693961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunsetRunner/pseuds/SunsetRunner
Summary: six months after his incarceration, oliver gets out of supermax and immediately heads to find felicity and william.what he finds when he arrives is surprising.





	like wishing for rain (as i stand in the desert)

**Author's Note:**

> title from 'a drop in the ocean' by ron pope 
> 
> so... this happened.

Nearly six months to the day that he is first taken to prison, the day they lost Quentin, he's released.

No fanfare, no fireworks.

Quietly, after Lyla pulling some serious strings in the executive office, Oliver is officially granted a pardon due to all the good things he had accomplished while being the Green Arrow. Honestly, it couldn't have come at a better time. The last six months have been  _trying_ to say the least. While the guards at the Slab were under strict orders from Agent Watson that no serious harm was to come to him, he was not immune from the fights that took place. Coming out the other side, Oliver had suffered a dislocated shoulder,  _twice,_ a broken nose, three broken fingers, and had been stabbed twice during the time he had been a prisoner. Each time he had been assaulted by the fellow prisoners, many of whom he had a hand in putting there, Oliver thought to himself how terrible it was that after everything he had gone through, he was going to be taken out by a few thugs with an axe to grind. That thought, along with the desire in his heart to see his wife and son again, pushed Oliver to survive. 

_Survive._

It was only fitting that his long journey had begun with that one single word. His father's dying breath spent on preparing Oliver for the life he was destined to live. Since then, eleven years had passed and the sentiment had been lost in the scuffle of the endless fight to save his city. Now as that's all fallen away, Oliver fights again, like he did on that beach so long ago, to return home. Not out of a sense of duty or holding onto the past. No, he fights for the future he wants to make with his family, for the opportunity to continue to live his life.

He's released quietly, without anyone from outside the prison and justice system, with the exception of Lyla and ARGUS, knowing about it. Oliver is quickly given back the clothes he was arrested in, along with his wedding ring, and taken to an airport to find his family. He isn't taken to Star City, and it's not exactly surprising since he knows that Lyla put Felicity and William into protective custody after he was arrested. Walking onto the private jet, Oliver finds John sitting alone in one of the seats. 

He immediately stands up and moves to embrace Oliver in a crushing hug. It pulls Oliver's stitches in his side, but it's the first human contact he's had in six months that isn't violent. They're both silent for a few moments.

"Hey man. It's good to see you." The familiar rough timbre of John's voice is soothing to Oliver and he claps his hands on John's back before he steps away.

"You too, John," he takes a seat and watches as John straps himself into the one across from him. The pilot announces their take off, listing their destination as Gotham City. For the next thirty minutes or so, they exist in a comfortable silence. Both soothed by the fact that they're both here, both alive. All of their past issues, culminating in the brutal fight that took place earlier in the year is forgotten. They've moved past the petty arguments that broke their relationship, all without even saying a word. 

"I like the beard." John mimics a razor. 

John's voice draws Oliver out of his thoughts, previously occupied with William and Felicity. He absentmindedly runs his fingers through the soft hair on his chin, quite a bit longer and fuller than he's ever had it. Oliver didn't have access to a razor in the Slab, and somehow shaving his face wasn't the first thing on his mind when he was told he was leaving. 

"I'm not quite sure how Felicity's going to," Oliver jests in return. While he says this in good fun, the truth is, he's been preoccupied with the state of his relationship with his wife for a while now. He hasn't corresponded with her besides the letters she sends him once a week since he was arrested. The letters, although sustaining him with details about how William is progressing in school, aren't enough to ease the ache in his heart. He knows that he messed up by not telling Felicity about his deal with Watson. 

At the mention of Felicity, a sad smile graces John's face.

"Have you talked to her lately?" Oliver's almost scared to hear the answer. No matter the state of his relationship with Felicity, or his relationship with John, their relationship has always been strong and steady. It's one of the things in his life that brings him the most joy, his best friend's friendship with his wife. Even when Oliver and Felicity had traveled around the world, and his relationship with John was as strained at it had ever been (up until then), Felicity continued to send him postcards and called him weekly to get updates on JJ. 

"Not really, she's been a bit MIA since your arrest. She took it really hard, man," John fixes him with a deep look. "Roy's been staying with her and William." 

That comes as a surprise to Oliver. The last he'd heard, Roy had continued on with Thea and Nyssa in the quest around the world to destroy all the remaining Lazarus Pits.

"Really? Is everything alright with him and --" 

"Yeah, yeah, it's good. From what he's told me, Thea comes to visit quite frequently. They decided that Roy was needed more elsewhere, and for the time being, he's been staying close to Felicity to keep her safe, and sane, I imagine." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I really shouldn't be the one to tell you this, Oliver." 

Oliver feels his heart rate quicken and his mind races through all of the possible problems. William could be sick, could be having trouble at school. Felicity could have met someone new---. 

_No._

Oliver refuses to let his mind go there. 

"John, please. I've been out of the loop for half a year, if there's something important going on with my wife, I think I deserve to know." He prods gently, not wanting to push John too far. 

Diggle takes a deep breath and rolls his eyes. "The two of you can seem to get anything you want out of me," he lets out a quiet chuckle and shakes his head. Oliver can tell now that whatever John has to tell him, it's big.

"Felicity's pregnant." 

" _What?"_

Out of all the possible things he had expected John to say, the fact that Felicity was pregnant fell at the bottom of the list. He wasn't an idiot, he knew they had healthy sex lives for a married couple their age, and while they had always been careful with birth control, things happen. However, he didn't expect for it to have occurred while he was being carted off for a life sentence at a supermax prison. 

A variety of emotions battle within Oliver; fear, shame, regret, happiness, elation,  _love._

He's surprised to feel the burn of tears in the back of his eyes, and Oliver scrubs his hand down his face and takes a deep breath. 

"She didn't tell me." 

John nods slowly, allowing Oliver to process this life-changing information on his own time. 

"She didn't want to worry you. You were so adamant that this was what you  _needed to do_ that she didn't want to make the decision harder on you. She was going to tell you eventually, but life got in the way, and instead she focused on building a life for herself and William, and the little one." Oliver lets out a breathy chuckle at that. 

"William's probably thrilled. He loved babysitting JJ--" 

"He is. He's been the perfect stepson, supporting Felicity through the whole thing. I was worried about her having to do it alone, but with William there, and now Roy, I'm sure that it's been a struggle, but she's coping." 

"I can't wait to see them." 

* * *

Four hours later, the plane is landing in Gotham and they walk out to a steady downpour. 

John bids him a farewell with Felicity's address, mentioning he has to meet up with an old friend, and possible new recruit. It peaks Oliver's interest, but the desire to see his family is overpowering. He grabs the duffel bag John packed for him and heads out to call for a ride. 

He takes a cab from the private airport to a residential neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. The cab driver is nice, and doesn't ask any questions. If he recognizes Oliver as the Green Arrow, he doesn't mention it. Oliver leaves a nice tip and is left at the driveway of an average looking home with white siding, blue shudders, and a red door. There's a bike stashed next to the stairs leading up to the porch, and Oliver can see his son riding it in his mind. The driveway has two vehicles in it, a green Mini Cooper and a vintage Harley Davidson, which he assumes belongs to Roy. There's space for another car, and Oliver vaguely perceives that it means not all of them are in the house at the moment. 

He stands there for a few minutes, staring at the house that holds his family, holds his  _future._ The rain is soaking through the leather jacket John brought him, his overgrown bangs are sticking to his forehead, and his knees are starting to ache with the weather. No matter how much he wants to go inside and see the two people he loves most in the world, he can't force himself to take another step. Oliver keeps flashing back to the last conversation he had with Felicity and William, inside the interrogation room of SCPD. When he closes his eyes, he can still see the tears flowing down Felicity's cheeks as he told her he was going to the Slab. He can still see the pain in his son's eyes when he said goodbye. It causes an ache to form in his heart, but Oliver pushes those thoughts aside and strengthens his will.

Oliver rearranges the duffel bag on his shoulder and is getting ready to take a step onto the property when the door in front of him opens. He watches motionless as Felicity walks out of the red door, a blue umbrella hung over her shoulder. She turns around without looking at him to lock the front door and he watches her, taking in every movement.

Her hair is darker now, more dirty blonde than he's seen it since their trip around the world. It is currently down in soft waves past her shoulders. She's wearing a purple peacoat, unbuttoned and swaying around her hips. Oliver can't see the front of her, but she's wearing black tights under a dress of some sort, tucked into black chunky ankle boots. He has yet to look at her face for more than a split second, and he already knows that she looks beautiful.

Felicity spins around once she finishes locking the door and her eyes come to rest on him, soaking wet standing on the sidewalk in front of her house. He registers the shock on her face, watches as the umbrella slips from her grip and clatters noisily onto the porch. He keeps his eyes trained on her face though, takes in the bright shine of her eyes and the shocked 'O' of her lips. He'd always thought it was just a saying, but seeing her from here, Oliver can tell that she's glowing. Her skin seems to shine from within and she looks absolutely gorgeous. He falls in love with her a bit more just standing there gazing at her. 

Oliver watches as she mouths his name silently, her hand coming up to rest against her neck. 

His eyes track the movement, and he follows the line of her body down to her stomach, where her other hand is resting protectively. He can see the glint of her wedding ring, and delights silently in the fact that she's still wearing it with him gone. His heart nearly stops when she shifts, and he can see more clearly, against the deep burgundy of the dress she's wearing, the bump protruding from her stomach. It's not huge yet, but big enough to be quite noticeable. 

Oliver lets out a deep breath and feels something in his chest break. Or open. Something. 

It's not that he didn't believe John when he said Felicity was pregnant, he knew that John would never lie or joke about something that serious. But Oliver knows that there's a part of him that needed the visual confirmation before he truly let himself believe it. The fear and shame that were previously warring inside of him have quieted now, and all that remains is the utter love and devotion he feels for the woman in front of him.

_His partner._

_His wife._

_The mother of his child._

Oliver's still frozen to the spot as Felicity finally moves from her stupor and walks down the porch steps, a bit unsteady on her feet. He moves forward instantly, to offer her support or take her into his arms, he doesn't know. Slowly, they approach each other, until they're both standing in the walkway leading to the porch, the rain soaking them both. Oliver wants to say something about how she shouldn't be out in the rain, but he can see the determined glint in her eyes. He watches as the rain causes her hair to fall limp around her shoulders. She shivers slightly but still doesn't say anything.

"Hi," the word is out before he knew he wanted to say something. It's like he physically couldn't stop himself from bridging the distance emotionally between them.

"Hi." 

He closes his eyes at her voice, it soothes over his soul like it always does, making him feel safer and more whole than he has in six months. 

Oliver feels her fingers run over his cheek and he forces his eyes back open. After not being able to see her for six months, he drinks her in. There's still a small amount of shock in Felicity's deep blue eyes behind her glasses, now speckled with droplets of rain. He nuzzles into her palm, and she scratches her fingers over his beard in response. 

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about the deal, I'm sorry about a lot of things." The regret he feels is easily seen in his tone. Felicity doesn't acknowledge it beyond the soft nod she gives him. He understands instantly; this is something they still have to talk about, but they're tabling the discussion for another time. 

"How are you here?" 

"Lyla got me a Presidential pardon. They let me out." 

"What does that mean? Were the charges dropped--" 

"Yes," a wide grin takes over his face as he steps closer to her, their bodies now pressed as tightly together as possible with her bump. Oliver slides his hands down her arms over her jacket and delights in the way her eyes slip closed. He links their fingers and brings up their conjoined hands to place the smallest of kisses on her wedding ring. 

"I'm a free man, baby." 

With that, Felicity lets out a small whine and launches herself at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, her fingers digging into the wet leather. The rain is still coming down over them, and he can taste it on her lips as she fuses their mouths together. The kiss is hard, demanding, and passionate. It's six months of pent up tension and love. Oliver drops his hands to her waist and wraps them around her back, leaning over her slightly to get a better angle. He delights in the different way her hips feel against his palms, filling out more in order to make room for their child. 

Oliver runs his tongue over the seam of her lips and Felicity opens up with a gasp. He immediately takes advantage, plundering her mouth and twisting his tongue around hers. Their teeth clash a bit, and the pain only makes Oliver want to kiss her harder. With the rain flowing down their faces, the kiss is a bit dirty, bordering on indecent for it to occur in the middle of her yard. Oliver wants nothing more than to drag her back inside and spend an inappropriate amount of time relearning her body, understanding how her pregnancy has changed her, how she will respond to him now. 

Felicity pulls back finally, taking in gasping breaths. He places a few smaller pecks on her lips, doesn't move away from her for a second. Being near her again after so long has reenergized his body, he no longer feels the slight twinge of pain that still exists from his previously dislocated shoulder, broken nose, stab wounds, or even his knee which was bothering him just a minute ago. He's revitalized just by her presence. 

Oliver feels Felicity smile against his lips. 

"I like the beard." 

 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! please leave a review! 
> 
> hopefully, i'll follow this up shortly with a second part. 
> 
> tumblr: smolsmoak


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